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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27493264">The Two Princes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Given (Anime), Given (Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Royalty, Boys In Love, Canonical Character Death, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:43:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,804</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27493264</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The kingdom of the west had been at war with the east for as long as Prince Mafuyu could remember, and it serves to be just his luck that he must work with the prince of this other kingdom to save his own. Can Mafuyu rely on this boy he's lying to for the sake of saving his kingdom, or will it all fall apart as secrets and prophecies are revealed?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kaji Akihiko/Nakayama Haruki, Kashima Hiiragi/Yagi Shizusumi, Nakayama Haruki &amp; Satou Mafuyu, Satou Mafuyu/Uenoyama Ritsuka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Two Princes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Tw: implied/referenced character death, mild violence</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Your mother is going to have my head.”</p><p>“Not if I don’t get caught.” Mafuyu said simply, and Hiiragi huffed out a laugh. </p><p>“You’re gonna get caught,” He turned away from his friend to face the crowded room again, taking a sip out of his glass of something Mafuyu had no interest in. “You’ll be lucky if you don’t get killed. And I'll be lucky if I don't get killed for knowing about it.”</p><p>Mafuyu elbowed him in the ribs. “It’s not that bad of a plan.”</p><p>“It’s a terrible plan.” </p><p>"What is a terrible plan?" </p><p>They both turned at the new addition to their conversation, and Mafuyu felt Hiiragi wince slightly next to him as they came face to face with his mother. She looked decidedly unimpressed as she looked between the two of them, her arms crossed and her mouth set into a scowl. Mafuyu sent Hiiragi a pleading look, and he gave him a slightly apologetic smile in return. </p><p>"Mafuyu was planning on stealing the forbidden book." He said quickly, and Mafuyu could have hit him. </p><p>His mother's eyebrows shot up, her eyes narrowing as she focused on Mafuyu. "He was what?" </p><p>Hiiragi slid away quickly, his presence hardly noticed by Mafuyu's mother but deeply missed by the boy himself. He'd known the lecture from his mother was coming, really, he had. He had just hoped he'd have more time to prepare some sort of response to what she had to say. </p><p>"Stealing the forbidden book? Are you kidding me?" She hissed. If they weren't still in the middle of a crowded ballroom he was sure she would have yelled at him. </p><p>"Nobody will answer my questions about the forest and I know the book has answers." Mafuyu said simply, and his mother scoffed. </p><p>"Maybe no one will talk to you because there's nothing worth talking about." She said. </p><p>Mafuyu shook his head. "It’s taking over our kingdom." </p><p>"That's a lie!" She snapped, earning a couple of looks from others in the room. She took a deep breath, steadying herself before she continued, her voice quieter this time. "The forest is not taking over our kingdom." </p><p>"There are trees and vines everywhere. You can't cross the street without tripping over them. Our crops are failing in our fields and all the animals we hunt for food are being driven away. Our kingdom is being squeezed to death and nobody is doing anything!" </p><p>"Mafuyu, these aren't problems you should be concerning yourself with. You're still a child." His mother said gently, placing her hand on his shoulder. </p><p>He brushed her off. "I'm not a child." </p><p>"Look, I know you're still upset about Yuki-" She sighed, and that was too far. </p><p>"This has nothing to do with Yuki!" He shouted, even though it had almost everything to do with him. </p><p>Multiple people turned to look at them at his outburst, whispering between each other as they watched the altercation unfold. His mother looked slightly uncomfortable. "Keep your voice down, Mafuyu." </p><p>"From what I've been able to piece together from gossip this all started a thousand years ago when the two kings fought each other in the hollow. Maybe if we go there-" </p><p>"Nobody is setting foot in that hollow!" She snapped. "This conversation is over, and I forbid you from bringing it up again." </p><p>Mafuyu stilled. "Mom-" </p><p>"No," She said, shaking her head quickly. "I'm dealing with the forest, and you should consider yourself lucky that I'm not pushing that on you. Don't be ungrateful."</p><p>"Ungrateful?" Mafuyu hissed. </p><p>His mother opened her mouth to respond again but was cut off by the arrival of Lord Haruki, who stepped between the two of them with his hands up. "Excuse me your majesty, but you're attracting quite a bit of unwanted attention. Might I suggest you leave the argument until after the princes ball so he retains some hope of finding a wife?" </p><p>Mafuyu grimaced at the mention of the purpose of the ball, and his mother had the decency to at least look a little ashamed for her behavior. She looked between Haruki and Mafuyu before huffing and turning away, walking over to the first guests she could find with a convincing fake smile plastered onto her face. </p><p>"I'm sorry, Haruki." Mafuyu said quietly, turning his attention to the floor. </p><p>Haruki put his hand gently on his shoulder, easing his attention back upwards. "You don't have to apologize. It's alright to be curious." </p><p>"Why don't you just tell me about the forest?" He pleaded, and Haruki gave him a sad smile. </p><p>"I'm afraid I cannot disobey your mother's direct orders. I'm sorry, Mafuyu." He said gently. </p><p>Mafuyu nodded a bit in response, giving Haruki a tense smile. "It’s alright." He said, even though it really wasn't. </p><p>Haruki smiled at him once more before lightly squeezing his shoulder and walking off, leaving Mafuyu to his thoughts again. He couldn't see Hiiragi amongst the crowd, but perhaps that was a good thing as his thoughts were beginning to spiral in a way he knew wouldn't end well. Not for the first time that night he longed for Yuki at his side, telling him jokes and annoying him to no end until they could eventually sneak out and back to his room because simply being in his presence was infinitely more entertaining than any stuffy ball ever could be. His heart ached with the weight of his absence. Hiiragi had been a good substitute, filling the void at his side and keeping his mind off of how little he wanted to be there, listening to him and bothering him like he always had, but it didn't feel the same anymore. There was a new rift between them, the absence of Yuki still thick in the air, and neither were quite sure how to move along without him. </p><p>There was more than one reason Mafuyu wanted so desperately to know about the forest. It was true that it was breaking their kingdom apart, squeezing all the life out of it slowly but surely, and as prince it was his duty to find out what was wrong and stop it, his mother's objections be damned. He wasn't so much of a child that he was unaware, despite what everyone around the castle seemed to think of him. It was his job to be aware. The lack of interest and understanding that showed on his face when he was spoken to was a poor reflection of whether or not he actually was, and nobody seemed to understand that. They never had. Except Yuki. He'd been slow to figure it out, certainly, but once he had he was always doing his best to be more aware of whether or not Mafuyu was ignoring him or just looked like he was. Another wave of grief washed over him at the thought. </p><p>More than just protecting his kingdom, though, a small, bitter part of Mafuyu's heart wanted revenge. He wanted to know what the forest was and how to stop it so he could end it's existence the same way it had had the audacity to end that of his closest companion. Yuki had been a brave knight, braver than any other Mafuyu had ever encountered, and it was too unfair for him to be defeated so easily by nothing more than trees and vines. It was unfair for everyone to refuse Mafuyu an explanation as he spent the months after his death mourning his loss, and even more unfair to continue that refusal as he threw himself into trying to figure out what was going on. He had a right to know, as far as he was concerned. As much as he might say it was just to save the kingdom he knew, deep down, that that was a lie. He'd told Hiiragi that he was just determined to prevent anyone else from meeting the same fate, repeated the same lie to his mother and Haruki when they'd tried to get the answer out of him, and he knew that all of them saw straight through him. </p><p>Maybe it was wrong of him, in some way, to prioritize one individual lost life over the countless others in his motivations, but it was what was keeping him going, and he had to find a reason for that most days. Yuki's death had made him colder, he knew that. He distanced himself from Hiiragi and Haruki, acted against his mother's wishes more often than he should, but he was so tired of all of the secrets and the lying. It wasn't too much for him to ask to be informed, to be told what to do and how to help instead of just sitting by and letting everyone else do it for him while they pretended it wasn't unfair for them to keep information that was so closely tied to his life from him. Maybe that was selfish of him, but he didn't care. Not anymore. </p><p>A couple of girls at the refreshment table were laughing rather loudly, and Mafuyu looked over to watch as they fed Kedama pieces of fruit and bread as he danced around them excitedly, his tail wagging quick enough that it almost knocked him over. Mafuyu rolled his eyes, walking over to the girls and scooping the small dog up before he could cause any problems. How he had even gotten into the ballroom Mafuyu didn't know, but he didn't doubt that the dog was only there for the food. </p><p>"Prince Mafuyu!" One of the girls gasped, clearly surprised at his sudden appearance. Her friend's eyes widened as well, and they bowed quickly. Mafuyu didn't feel very princely, standing there with a writhing white ball of fluff in his arms and a frown no doubt present on his face, but he didn't much care either. </p><p>"Are you enjoying the ball, your highness?" The second girl asked as she straightened herself back up, giving Mafuyu a bright smile. </p><p>Mafuyu nodded a little. "And yourselves?" </p><p>"Oh it's lovely," The first girl spoke up again, gesturing around the room enthusiastically. "You've truly outdone yourself this time!" </p><p>Mafuyu didn't have the heart to tell her that he really had absolutely nothing to do with the ball. "I'm pleased to hear that. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to remove Kedama before he causes more trouble than he's worth." </p><p>"Of course, your highness." One of the girls said, and they both gave quick bows. </p><p>He nodded politely at them and walked off, Kedama still on his mission of wiggling to freedom in his arms. He made his way across the ballroom, but stopped short as he passed a small alcove in the back that was flooded with whispered arguing. He took a few steps closer, holding Kedama closer to his chest, and peered around the corner to see his mother pacing the short distance between the two walls and Haruki leaning against one of them looking incredibly tired. </p><p>"I honestly don't know how much longer I can keep this up, Haruki. I mean Mafuyu has eyes! He can see how much trouble we're in, but the moment I let on that I don't have this under control and stop smiling and start screaming the kingdom is going to fall into chaos!" </p><p>"With all due respect, your majesty," Haruki said, drawing his mother from her ramblings. "Perhaps it's time you told Mafuyu the truth." </p><p>His mother turned, leveling Haruki with a glare that made him shrink back. "I have protected Mafuyu from this for nearly eighteen years and I'll protect him for the next eighteen hundred if that's what it takes!" </p><p>"You said yourself that he isn't a child anymore." Haruki said. His mother sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. </p><p>"I know he isn't," She said softly. "But he was devastated when Yuki died, and I do not want him to go through more hardship than he already has. I don't want to worry him, because he's still recovering from his loss." </p><p>Haruki softened slightly. "Perhaps it would be wise to let the prince decide for himself what he cannot handle. Refusing to tell him won't stop the forest, and it will not stop his curiosity." </p><p>Mafuyu turned away, not sure he wanted to know what his mother was going to say. He squeezed Kedama a bit tighter, the small dog clearly sensing his drastic shift in mood and stopping his wiggling. He looked up at Mafuyu, tilting his head curiously, and Mafuyu bent down a bit to bury his nose in his fur. He let him go soon after, all intention of taking him out of the ballroom gone from his head, and he hardly paid attention as he trotted back over to the snack table. He wasn't sure what his mother had been talking about, but he knew he wanted to find out even more now than he had before. She was lying to him about something big and he wanted, no, needed, to know what it was. He wasn't a child that needed protecting, not anymore, and he didn't know how to get his mother to see that. </p><p>A lot of Mafuyu's life had been spent very sheltered, he knew that. When it wasn't his mother doting on him and keeping him safe it was Yuki brandishing a sword at any potential threat despite being too young to know how to hold it properly. He hadn't needed to learn to protect himself because he'd always had people there to do it for him. Yuki's death had truly shaken him though, and he realized quickly that he couldn't rely on other people to keep him safe because they wouldn't always be there. His mother had to stop treating him like a child so he could learn how to fight for himself. He just wasn't sure she would be willing to do so. </p><p>"Are you alright, your highness?" </p><p>Mafuyu jumped slightly, turning to face Haruki, who looked slightly sheepish at the fact that he'd startled him. "Sorry, Lord Haruki. I didn't realize you were there." </p><p>"It’s alright. I often forget I'm here myself." Haruki shrugged. Mafuyu couldn't help but think that that was incredibly depressing. </p><p>"Yeah, well." Mafuyu let himself trail off, looking around the room once more. He spotted Hiiragi locked in conversation with one of the knights, their childhood friend Shizushumi, and watched as Kedama tricked another unsuspecting guest into giving him scraps from the table. </p><p>"You know, you may find this hard to believe, but I was once in a similar situation to you myself." Haruki said. </p><p>Mafuyu turned to look at him. "Really?" </p><p>Haruki nodded. "I too was once expected to marry, and it brought great shame upon my family when I refused." </p><p>"You don't need to guilt me too, Haruki." Mafuyu sighed, looking away from him again. </p><p>"On the contrary. I've always stood by my choice not to marry, despite the few hardships it has caused me since." He explained. </p><p>"So you've never been in love?" Mafuyu asked. Haruki didn't strike him as the type of person to abstain from relationships and falling in love, but maybe he had been wrong in his assumptions about him.</p><p>Haruki laughed lightly and shook his head. "No, no I've fallen in love many times. I'm just afraid the kingdom wasn't quite ready for that type of marriage."</p><p>"I don't understand." Mafuyu said, though he thought he might know where this was going. </p><p>"I think," Haruki said, leveling him with a serious look. "You do."</p><p>Mafuyu didn't have time to respond, much less think of an answer, as he was cut off by a deafening crash from outside. The band stopped playing and after a moment of silence quiet murmurs started around the room. </p><p>"What was that?" Mafuyu asked, his mind already reeling with the possibilities. </p><p>He caught Hiiragi's eye across the room, watched as Shizu took a defensive step in front of him, his hand on his sword. One of the butlers scooped up Kedama, and the girls from before clung to each other as the ground started to shake. Mafuyu reached out to Haruki, who grabbed his arm in response to feign some sort of stability, and Mafuyu could only watch in horror as the ceiling started to split and the large chandelier hanging above the ballroom started to move towards the floor. People screamed, and Shizu rushed forward to pull people frozen with fear out of the way, narrowly avoiding a brick to the head. The lights in the room all flickered, and Haruki held onto Mafuyu's arm tighter. </p><p>"The forest is invading. Everyone, take cover!" The head of the palace guard, a man who's name Mafuyu didn't know, shouted. </p><p>Hiiragi tried to hold Shizu back as he drew his sword and rushed forward to join the rest of the guards as they all stood on the defensive. Mafuyu couldn't help but note how scared he looked, or now fond Shizu looked when he turned back to him and gave him a weak smile. One of the other guests pulled Hiiragi back as another chunk of the ceiling came down just in front of him. Mafuyu realized with a sudden influx of horror that Haruki was no longer holding onto his arm, and when he turned to look for him he wasn't there, the spot he had occupied moments before now full of nothing but empty air. He looked around the room quickly, panic setting in as he failed to catch sight of both Haruki and his mother. </p><p>"Mom?!" He shouted, spinning on the spot and looking around frantically. "Mom!" </p><p>The ground shook beneath him and he stumbled backwards as more stone came crashing down towards him. The chain of the chandelier hardly had anything to hang onto now, the ceiling splitting around it as it slipped further and further away from where it was supposed to be. This couldn't be happening. He knew the forest was a problem, knew his mother wasn't treating it as seriously as she needed to, and now they were paying the price for it. Mafuyu couldn't do this. He couldn't lose anyone else, especially not his mother. He didn't know what he'd do if he did. </p><p>The guards were slicing at the vines coming up through the floor, their movements a flurry of silver and green, and Mafuyu was so distracted by them for a moment that he didn't notice the approaching vines before it was too late and he had been snatched by the waist, the vines dragging him back. </p><p>"Mafuyu!" Shizu shouted, drawing the attention of the other guards over to his problem, and they all immediately started trying to fight their way over to help him. </p><p>The vines, as if sensing the change in focus of the guards, seemed to shift to block their path. Mafuyu struggled against the vines locked around him, trying to kick and claw them off, but it seemed to be in vain. They were squeezing hard enough that it hurt, the air knocked out of his lungs by the force of it, and he was starting to see black spots in his vision. A distant, bitter part of his brain wondered if maybe his mother would finally take the forest seriously if it killed him, but he forced himself to shake it off. This wasn't the time to be selfish. </p><p>The grip of the vines loosened and he tumbled to the floor, struggling to pull air into his aching lungs. A hand on his arm shook him out of it and he turned to see Haruki, who was out of breath and brandishing a sword that looked unnatural in his shaking hand. </p><p>"Haruki! Thank you!" </p><p>Haruki nodded before shoving a scroll into his hands. "Of course. Now take this." </p><p>"What is it?" Mafuyu asked. </p><p>"A map," Haruki explained, looking around them frantically. "It will take you straight to the hollow. Here, take my sword and go." </p><p>He held out his sword, his hand still shaking, and Mafuyu froze, looking between it and him with wide, bewildered eyes. "Haruki, I can't just leave you. I have to help you." </p><p>Haruki shoved the sword into his hand roughly. "Go, Mafuyu. Fix this so that none of the sacrifices made will be in vain." </p><p>He was talking about Yuki. Mafuyu knew it, and Haruki knew that he did, but he said it anyway, and a wave of nausea so strong it almost brought him to his knees washed over him. How many people in this room would have the same fate as Yuki? How many knights, how many innocent people? Would it be one of his other friends next, maybe his mother or Haruki? He couldn't abandon them to fight on their own. His heart ached with the thought of his mother, who was still lost tp him amongst the crowd, and he couldn't help but think how terrified she'd be to know he was considering going off into the forest alone. </p><p>"But my mother said-" </p><p>"Damn your mother!" Haruki snapped, and Mafuyu's eyes widened in surprise. "There's a prophecy your mother has been hiding from you, and you're the only one who can fulfill it. You must go to the hollow. You must-"</p><p>Haruki was cut off by a deafening crack. "Look out for the chandelier!" </p><p>Mafuyu looked up to see the chandelier plummeting towards them, and before he could fully register it Haruki was shoving him out of the way, the metal and stone coming down on top of him. </p><p>"Haruki!" Mafuyu screamed, but it was lost under all the commotion. He scrambled forward, pulling bits of broken metal and glass off the man. "Haruki! Haruki can you hear me? Are you okay?" </p><p>Haruki gave a weak groan, dragging himself out from under the pile of debris, and the amount of blood leaving the wounds on his body made Mafuyu feel faint. "Go. Please, go." </p><p>Guards fought past the vines and rushed forward, pushing Mafuyu out of the way to get to Haruki and help him. He scrambled up and back, staring wide eyed and terrified at the scene around him. He could stop this, thats what Haruki had said. All of this would be over if he could get to the hollow and fulfill this prophecy. Mafuyu looked around at the guests and the knights, everyone terrified and scrambling to save themselves, and suddenly the answer was far too simple to be ignored. He looked at Haruki, looked at the guards distracted with trying to move the chandelier before he lost too much blood, and turned and ran, no plan in mind aside from getting to the forest. He had to make it to the hollow, had to stop this, for Haruki, for his mother. He had to do it for them. </p><p>And for Yuki.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is just an au of the podcast The Two Princes, which you should totally listen to if you haven't but also don't if you don't want to spoil this fic for yourself because it is following the same plot, just darker and angstier with some musical subplots thrown in.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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